Durian fruit grow in a tree. Photo by Pixabay
An ongoing investigation has found that multiple former officials were involved in a land dispute in Pahang, Malaysia, which led to the cutting down of 1,000 durian trees, but no arrests have yet been made.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has compiled a list of individuals linked to the land dispute in the key durian-growing state.
“Yes, we already have a list. Considering the case dates back around 10 years or more, some of the officials involved have since retired,” said its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki on Tuesday, as reported by state media Bernama.
For now, the commission’s investigation is ongoing, not just focusing on governance issues, but also examining how land clearing activities could have occurred without proper action from relevant authorities, he said.
The land dispute in Pahang’s Raub town began on April 8 when the government chopped down around 200 durian trees it said were grown on illegal land.
It then proceeded to take down more than 1,000 trees, many of them of the prized Musang King variety, within days, despite farmers staging banners to protest, according to local media.
While authorities stated that the land fell under government control, farmers, represented by the Save Musang King Alliance, claimed that a court order in May last year blocked the government from demolishing the farms.
Azam also said that the recent land dispute seemed to be different from a previous case in the same province in 2021 which it had looked into.
“Some settlers claim they have been working the land since 1974. If that were true, the trees would be 40 to 50 years old, but we have also found trees only eight or nine years old, which clearly indicates recent encroachment,” he said.
